HVCA publishes rainwater harvesting guide

HVCA Publications, the publishing division of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association, has launched a new guide to rainwater harvesting in non-residential buildings.

The Guide to Good Practice: Installation of Rainwater Harvesting in Non-Residential Buildings (TR/36) offers advice and practical considerations to those wanting to harvest rainwater for all new non-domestic building projects.

Bob Towse, Head of HVCA’s Technical and Safety Department, said: “With climate change hitting the headlines, the industry is looking into new ways to save energy and other important resources. Recycling rainwater will reduce water consumption from the mains, reduce water bills and the building’s carbon footprint.

“Many uses of water in non-residential buildings do not require the water to be of drinking water quality. A lot of energy and resource is needed to achieve drinking water quality, and using it to, say, flush toilets, is unnecessary and wasteful. Harvested rainwater is ideal for such tasks, and our publication aims to give the reader advice on how rainwater harvesting equipment can be installed.”

The guide is part of a suite of publications covering installation requirements for a range of renewable energy and sustainable systems. It draws on the wide range of existing HVCA publications covering good practice in building services and should be read alongside the wider range of TR/20 installation guides available for hot and cold water services.